Reading 2 : Regarding Visualizing Ideas

Visualizing ideas is one the topic that interest me a lot in this subject. It is basically how do designers visualize an idea to demonstrate it to others. It interets me until i did an extra research on it. Well before that we were ask to discuss how we will visualize our concepts/ideas.

Basically what i've found was is that there are several tools or techniques that we can used to develop ideas, generate consensus, and test concepts.Which are :

• Mind maps
• Concept boards
• Visual personae
• Click- throughs

Mind Maps - Mind maps are a very versatile brainstorming technique that can be used to get the creative juices going, develop consensus on direction and concepts, and generate metaphors and ideas for visual exploration.

Use Mind Maps to:

* brainstorm features and functionality
* understand and define a brand or user-type
* explore themes and possible metaphors
* generate naming conventions
* get yourself out of a creative rut

Concept Boards - Concept boards enable exploration of visual directions without using final content or imagery. This allows designers and clients to agree on styles for imagery, type, color, composition, and overall "look-and-feel" without getting caught up in other details.

When to use them - This technique works best as an extension of the Visual Personae and Mind Map exercises and before the first round of interface designs.

Visual Personae - Visual personae help to focus the personality, tone, and visual direction of a site or application. They also provide visual inspiration throughout the design process.

When to use them - Because communicating visual concepts and brand attributes verbally can be difficult, it is important to begin a project with a shared vision of the qualities the design must convey. Do this exercise as the very first step in the visual design process, long before you put down that first pixel.

Click- Throughs -

Simple, NON-DESIGNED, working demos that illustrate interaction, navigation, and basic page elements.

It's easy to rely on instincts and experience when designing out interactions, jumping from concept straight to detailed page schematics without a thorough understanding of how the pages relate or how a user will interact with them. Click-throughs are a quick and easy way to visualize and test interaction and page components. Because they generally do not include design elements, they are a great way to focus discussion and decisions on issues of interaction and information architecture.

When to use them - There is no "correct" time in the design process to use a Conceptual Click-through. Uses include:

* Visualizing process flows and identifying transactional elements and content needs
* demonstrating/validating navigational models
* storyboarding basic design elements to demonstrate hierarchy, navigation, and interaction
* creating a common understanding of functionality and navigation for a client or project team
* on the extreme end, detailed wire-frame (or schematic) click-throughs for usability/concept testing

All of the description above are taken from mediumbold.com and so the full credits goes to mediumbold.

And finally i found that this skill can be implemented in our future depends on what kind of task or future assignments that we have to do. I feel very fortunate that Ms Mohana taught us this important topic. I hope that there will be a lot of this kind topic that i will learn in the future because it is really interesting and i think it is so useful.